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Metallic bone fixations, due to their high rigidity, can cause long-term complications. To alleviate metallic biomaterials’ drawbacks, in this research new Glass Fiber/Polypropylene (GF/PP) composite internal fixations were developed, and an investigation of their mechanical behavior was performed through in vitro biomechanical experiments. Short randomly oriented, long unidirectional prepreg, and long unidirectional fiber yarn were considered as reinforcements, and the effects on their mechanical properties of different manufacturing processes, that is, 3D printing and heat-compressing, were investigated. The constructed fixation plates were tested in the transversely fractured diaphysis of bovine tibia under axial compression loading. The overall stiffness and the Von Mises strain field of the fixation plates were obtained within stable and unstable fracture conditions. The samples were loaded until failure to determine their failure loads, strains, and mechanisms. Based on the results, the GF/PP composite fixation plates can provide adequate interfragmentary movement to amplify bone ossification, so they can provide proper support for bone healing. Moreover, their potential for stress shielding reduction and their load-bearing capacity suggest their merits in replacing traditional metallic plates.

The current study investigated the influence of incorporation of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) on quasi-static behavior of composite and fiber metal laminate (FML) panels. The unmodified and modified composite specimens and FML panels with 2/1 configuration were fabricated using a hand lay-up method and investigated through a quasi-static punch and indentation testing. The two sets of tests were conducted with a flat-ended indenter and the loading conditions were the same for all samples, except support spans which were varied. Following experimental testing, possible damages at the punch region were closely investigated and localized and global damages were observed. The results revealed that adding 0.2 wt% GNPs improved the strength and fracture toughness of specimens by delaying the failure modes. On the contrary, GNPs made the bonding between the aluminum and composite interface to weaken.

The human being has always been looking for optimal use of his surrounding materials and over the years, has managed to invent various structures with special properties. Lattice structures are widely used in various applications due to their lower weight and desirable compressive strength. An example of these structures is the honeycomb that is very popular and many studies have been done about it. A new type of lattice structures is auxetic structure that has negative Poisson’s ratio due to its geometry. This characteristic has caused auxetic structures to have unique properties such as high shear strength, indentation resistance and energy absorption. Investigation of energy absorption of auxetic structures is a subject that has not been studied in researches. In this study, the ability of some auxetic structure for absorbing energy is investigated at quasi-static and low velocity impact transverse loading. Specimens with three types of geometries (re-entrant, arrowhead and anti-tetra chiral) are fabricated using additive manufacturing method (3D printing). Discussion about energy absorption and failure mechanisms of all three structures were carried out and compared in both types of loading.

Mechanical properties and manufacturing processes of Glass Fiber/Polypropylene (GF/PP) composites for application of flexible internal long bone fracture fixation plates have been investigated. PP/Short Chopped Glass Fiber (PPSCGF), PP/Long Glass Fiber (PPLGF) and PP/Long Glass Fiber Yarn (PPLGFY) were used in fabrication of the fixation plates. The PPSCGF and PPLGF plates were made by the heat-compressing process and Three-dimensional (3D) printing method was used to make the PPLGFY ones. The values of Young’s modulus, tensile strength, flexural modulus and strength, and impact strength of the PPSCGF in the fiber longitudinal direction were found to be [Formula: see text]GPa, [Formula: see text]MPa, [Formula: see text]GPa, [Formula: see text]MPa and [Formula: see text]kJ/m2, respectively. Where, these values for the PPLGF were to [Formula: see text]GPa, [Formula: see text]MPa, [Formula: see text]GPa, [Formula: see text]MPa, and [Formula: see text]kJ/m2 and for the PPLGFY were to [Formula: see text]GPa, [Formula: see text]MPa, [Formula: see text]GPa, [Formula: see text]MPa and [Formula: see text]kJ/m2. These have been found to be in close agreement with the human bone properties. Furthermore, the strength and modulus values of the plates were reasonable to be used as a bone implant applicable for bone fracture reconstructions. Hence, the study concluded that the GF/PP composites are useful for load-bearing during daily activities and would be recommended as a choice in orthopedic fixation plate applications. It will help the researchers for development of new fixation designs and the clinicians for better patient’s therapy in future.

The employment of lightweight structures is one of the most important goals in various industries. The lightweight sandwich panel is an excellent energy absorber and also a perfect way for decreasing the risk of impact. In this paper, a numerical study of high-velocity impact on honeycomb sandwich panels reinforced with polymer foam was performed. The results of numerical simulation are compared with the experimental findings. The numerical modeling of high-velocity penetration process was carried out using nonlinear explicit finite-element code, LS-DYNA. The aluminum honeycomb structure, unfilled honeycomb sandwich panel, and the sandwich panels filled with three types of polyurethane foam (foam 1: 56.94, foam 2: 108.65, and foam 3: 137.13 kg/m3) were investigated to demonstrate damage modes, ballistic limit velocity, absorbed energy, and specific energy absorption (SEA) capacity. The numerical ballistic limit velocity of sandwich panels, filled with three types of foam, was more than that of a bare honeycomb core and unfilled sandwich panel. In addition, the numerical results showed that the sandwich panel filled with the highest density foam could increase the strength of sandwich panel and the numerical specific energy absorption of this structure was 23% more than that of unfilled. Finally, the numerical results were in good agreement with experimental findings.

This paper presents an analytical model for the high-velocity impact behavior of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks under flat-ended cylindrical projectile. This model employs an energy balance approach to derive the governing differential equations related to the process. The model considers four energy absorbing mechanisms including crushing, tensile fracture, plug kinetic, and friction loss. A closed-form solution was presented to the derived governing differential equations using singularity functions. Singularity functions were used to incorporate discontinuities due to various energy absorbing mechanisms. Results of the present model are reasonably in good agreement with presented experimental results. The effects of various impact parameters on the residual velocity and energy absorption were studied and the results are reported, discussed and commented upon.

This paper presents a comparison of behavior and energy absorption of neat Kevlar fabric and polymer matrix composites under high velocity impact loading . Two types of matrices including rubber and thermoset (epoxy) matrices were used in order to study the effect of a hard and brittle matrix compared with the soft and flexible matrix on energy absorption of the composite. Moreover, two types of rubber matrix with high hardness (HH) and low hardness (LH) were used in this study to investigate the effect of rubber matrix formulation on impact resistance of composites. Ballistic impact tests were performed by firing a 10 mm hemispherical projectile onto neat fabric and composites in a velocity range of 30–150 m/s for two- and four-layer samples. Results show that the matrix affects the ballistic performance of composites significantly. Rubber matrix enhances the energy absorption of the fabric by keeping composite flexibility. Increase the number of layers for Kevlar/rubber composite results in better ballistic performance. On the contrary, the thermoset matrix leads to an inflexible composite that restricts the fabric deformation and has a negative effect on the fabric’s ballistic performance. Finally, damage mechanisms were discussed in detail for each sample.

One of the best nondestructive techniques to evaluate the buckling behavior of imperfection-sensitive structures is the vibration correlation technique (VCT). This paper presents an analytical formulation for the free vibration of axially loaded composite lattice sandwich cylinders (CLSC) and numerical and experimental validations of the VCT applied to such structures. From an analytical point of view, the equations are obtained through the Rayleigh-Ritz method considering first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). For the numerical verification of the VCT, three types of linear and nonlinear finite element analyses are performed. At first, numerical results for the critical buckling load and the first natural frequency at different load levels are compared with the corresponding analytical ones, validating the numerical models. Then, the numerical models are extended considering geometric nonlinearities and imperfection to simulate the variation of the first natural frequency of vibration with the applied load. As well, a nonlinear buckling analysis is also performed using the Riks method for a better comparison of the VCT results. In the last section, four specimens are fabricated using a new rubber mold and a filament winding machine. Additionally, the experimental buckling test is carried out, verifying the results of the VCT approach. The results demonstrate that the maximum difference between the estimated buckling load using the VCT approach and the corresponding nonlinear and experimental buckling loads is less than 5%, being the VCT result more accurate than the numerical one. Moreover, the proposed VCT provided a good estimation of the buckling load of the CLSC, considering a maximum load level of at least 62.1% of the experimental buckling load.

This study presents the response of rubber panels subjected to high-velocity impact loading. The mechanical properties and impact performance of rubber panels are altered by the variation in compound ingredients. To investigate the effect of compound ingredients, two types of rubber panels with high (SHA70) and low hardnesses (SHA45) were prepared, and mechanical properties and impact resistance of the panels were measured by high-velocity impact tests in a velocity range of 70–160 m/s. Ballistic limits of about 80 and 94 m/s were obtained for the low- and high-hardness rubbers, respectively, which show that the energy absorption of rubber panels increases as filler loading content increases. In this respect, the finite-element simulation has been performed to investigate the ballistic performance of rubber panels numerically. Rubber panel has been modeled using the LS-DYNA software and employing the experimental results of tensile test to characterize the behavior of panel. The findings show a good agreement between the numerical and experimental data. To study the effect of projectile’s shape, impact resistance of the rubber panels against hemispherical projectiles with different length-to-diameter (L/D) ratios (projectiles with diameters of 8, 10, and 12 mm) was measured and the model was also used. The results demonstrate that energy absorption of the panel increases as the diameter of projectile increases. The energy absorbed by the rubber panels appears in the form of damages that lead to increase their damage zone.

In this article, the quasistatic penetration tests were investigated on unfilled and polyurethane foam filled honeycomb sandwich panels. Failure mechanisms, specific energy absorption, interaction ...

This paper investigates the eccentric low-velocity impact of Fiber metal laminates (FMLs) subjected to spherical projectile using a unified Zig-Zag plate theory. The presented zig-zag plate theory enforces transverse shear stress continuity through the thickness and can be reduced to conventional plate theories using appropriate shape function. The governing equations and suitable boundary conditions are obtained using the principle of minimum total potenital energy . Runge-Kutta method is employed to solve initial value problem resulted by the method of Ritz. The present model is validated by comparison and good agreement between its results and those of reports in open literature. Influence of various specifications of impact phenomenon such as laminate thickness , projectile radius, projectile velocity , in-plane load and eccentricity parameter is examined on deflection and contact force time history. The obtained results indicate that continuity of transverse shear stress is required to achieve accurate contact force even for moderately thin FMLs.

In this study, two computationally efficient and accurate solution methods for heat transfer analysis in composite metal cylindrical vessel subjected to internal thermal load are presented. In order to accurately account for the thickness effects, the layerwise theory is employed to approximate the temperature field. In the first solution method, differential quadrature method (DQM) is implemented to discretize the resulting equations in the both spatial and time domains. In the second approach, DQM is applied to discretize equations in the axial direction while Newmark's time integration scheme is used to solve the problem in the time domain. The fast convergence rate of the methods is demonstrated and their accuracy is verified by comparing the results with those obtained using ABAQUS software and also with the exact solutions. Less computational efforts of the proposed approaches with respect to the finite element method is observed. Furthermore, comparative studies are performed and it is found that layerwise theory provides the capability of precise modeling of laminated composite shells.

The main aim of the present research is to investigate the quasi-static penetration process of cylindrical indenters with different nose shapes into multilayered composite panels made of Dyneema and Glass woven fibers, and aluminum face sheets. For better understanding of the perforation mechanism of the composite panels, effects of indenter geometry, stacking sequences, and boundary conditions are studied and their effects on energy absorption, specific absorbed energy, maximum deformation, peak load, and failure modes are evaluated and discussed. Samples with different layering configurations loaded under quasi-static punch and indentation with loading rate of 5 mm/min using universal testing machine and cylindrical rigid indenters with different nose shapes geometries consist of blunt, hemispherical, conical, and ogival. Regarding the boundary condition effects, two different rigid fixtures are designed and manufactured with the same external square perimeter (250 × 250 mm) and two different internal perimeters of circular and square shapes respectively, with diameter of 15 mm and edge side of 100 mm. Results show that the hybrid composite panels composed of Dyneema sheets, exhibits significantly better load carrying capacity and specific absorbed energy under both loading conditions. Indenter nose shape significantly affects elastic load, peak load, and energy absorption and maximum deformation. Furthermore, from visual observations based on digital microscopic images, fiber breakage, fiber pull out, intralaminar delamination, and debonding between the composite layers within the damage zone were inspected and recognized as the main damage mechanisms of panels. Output data obtained from all the experimental investigation were reported, discussed, and commented upon.

In the present study, static behavior of short hybrid laminate beams was investigated using a unified zig-zag theory (ZZT) containing various beam theories as special cases. This theory satisfies transverse shear stresses continuity in the interface of layers via piece-wise continuous arbitrary shape functions. The principle of virtual work was employed to derive unified equilibrium equations and suitable boundary conditions. The present theory obviates the need for stress recovery for continuous transverse stresses. A general solution was presented to analyse high transversely anisotropic laminates under several kinds of transverse loads (general lateral, sinusoidal and point load) and non-linear thermal loads. The validity of this model is demonstrated by comparison of its predictions and good agreement with published results in literature. Numerical examples were given to investigate the impact of the transverse anisotropy on displacement, strain and stress fields through the thickness. The results show that the piece-wise continuous exponential and sinusoidal shape functions provide more accurate transverse stress distribution in comparison with other shape functions. In addition, the results show that the continuity of transverse shear stress through the thickness plays an important role in analysing transversely anisotropic laminated beams. A comparison of present ZZT and existing exact elasticity solutions shows that the current theory is simple and efficient.

In this work nanopolyurea is used as reinforcement for curved steel plates under low velocity impact loading. Experimental and numerical analysis are used to study the effect of plate curva...

In this study, thermoelastic stress analysis in composite metal cylindrical vessel is investigated with the help of two theories, first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and layerwise theory, using differential quadrature method (DQM). Hamilton principle and FSDT are employed for derivation of the principle differential equations. DQM and Newmark’s methods are used for stress analysis of a composite metal cylindrical vessel subjected to internal dynamic pressure and thermal load achieved from experimental test. In order to more accurately estimate the thickness effect, the layerwise theory is applied to approximate the temperature field. In this solution method, DQM is used to discretize the resulted governing equations while Newmark’s method is implemented to solve the problem in the time domain. It was observed that the fast convergence rate of the DQM method and its accuracy is confirmed by comparing the results with those obtained using ABAQUS software and also with the exact solutions. Furthermore, it was achieved significantly less computational efforts of the proposed approaches with respect to the finite element method.

The main focus of this review is on soft composites, relatively new to the literature. The ballistic fabrics, mechanism of ballistic energy absorption and parameters affect the ballistic performance of fabrics are reviewed. Adding shear thickening fluid (STF) and natural rubber (NR) to fabric and their potential to enhance the impact performance of woven fabrics are considered. Shear thickening mechanism, parameters influence the Shear thickening and impact response of fabric/STF composite are explored. Numerical modelling techniques for the estimation of impact resistance of fabric/STF are outlined. Also the role of shear thickening fluid in energy absorption of fabric/STF composite was investigated. Moreover mechanical and impact characteristics of elastomeric composites which contain one rubbery part as either matrix or completely separate media are explored as well, which have not been considered within previous review papers so far.

Effect of adding carboxyl-modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (COOH-MWCNTs) on the high velocity impact of sandwich panels with plywood core and two different facesheets, E-glass/epoxy and E-glass/ nylon 6, was investigated in this study. Facesheets were prepared with and without COOH-MWCNTs. Three different weight percentages of 0.3, 0.5, and 1 wt% of COOH-MWCNTs were used to reinforce epoxy and nylon 6 polymers. The sandwich panels’ estimated ballistic limit ( Vbl) and impact energy absorbed ( Eab) were determined by subjecting them to impact velocities in their ballistic limit range and above by conical nose projectile. It was found that the sandwich panels containing E-glass/ epoxy facesheets exhibited more energy absorption than those containing E-glass/nylon 6 facesheets. Moreover, the high velocity impact response of sandwich panels improved with the increase of COOH-MWCNT content. Besides, the damage area for different types of materials studied is presented, and it is observed that at a given impact velocity, the damage size on the rear facesheet of target around the point of impact decreases on addition of COOH-MWCNTs.

In this article, absorbed energy per unit of initial tube length, initial peak force and mean folding force in empty and polyurethane foam-filled simple and grooved specimens with circular cross section are investigated, experimentally. Results demonstrate that in the empty and foam-filled simple specimens, absorbed energy per unit of initial tube length, initial peak force and mean folding force are larger than the corresponding values of the empty and foam-filled grooved specimens, respectively. But, increment of absorbed energy due to the foam-filler in the grooved tubes is more than the corresponding value in the simple specimens. Also, diagrams of absorbed energy and folding force versus the grooves distance have the minimum value. Therefore, there is a critical value for the grooves distance and according to the application viewpoint, to produce a good energy absorber, the grooves distance is selected far from the critical grooves distance. The experimental results show that when the grooves distance (λ) decreases, deformation mode inclines to the concertina (regular) mode and when λ increases, the deformation mode inclines to the diamond mode. Finally, a semiempirical relation is derived to predict the initial peak force of empty and foam-filled grooved tubes.

This paper reports improvement in the fracture properties of epoxy nanocomposites using plasma functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (f-GNP) at low filler content. Various mechanical tests were performed on a series of f-GNP/epoxy at low nanofiller loading to assess the effect of the nanofiller on mechanical properties. Most importantly, a significant enhancement in fracture toughness is achieved without compromising the tensile and thermal properties of the nanocomposites. The fracture toughness of neat epoxy resin was increased by over 50% with the incorporation of 0.25 wt% f-GNP loading, obtaining a value of 245 J m−2, while the neat epoxy indicated a value of 162 J m−2. The glass transition temperature (Tg) and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) both showed a slight increase of 3% and 2%, respectively, both at 1 wt% f-GNP loading. These enhancements are competitive with current literature results on nanocomposites, but at significantly lower filler content. We therefore demonstrate that f-GNPs are capable of providing effective toughening of epoxy resins, while maintaining other tensile and thermal properties.

This study presents the high-velocity impact performance of a composite material composed of woven Kevlar fabric impregnated with a colloidal shear thickening fluids (STFs). Although the precise role of the STF in the high-velocity defeat, process is not exactly known but it is suspected to be due to the increased frictional interaction between yarns in impregnated fabrics. In order to explore the mechanism of this enhanced energy absorption, high-velocity impact test was conducted on neat, impregnated fabric and also on pure STF without fabric. A finite element model has been carried out to consider the effect of STF impregnation on the ballistic performance. For this purpose, fabric was modeled using LS-DYNA by employing the experimental results of yarn pull-out tests to characterize the frictional behavior of the STF impregnated fabric. The simulation result is a proof that the increased performance for STF impregnated Kevlar fabric is due to the increased friction.

In this paper, experimental studies on the ballistic impact behaviour of nanomodified glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) are reported. The epoxy matrix of the GFRP was modified by the addition of graphene platelets (GNPs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), combined hybrid hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS)/CNT, and combined boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs)/GNPs nanoparticles. Ballistic impact tests were carried out on GFRP laminates at two projectile velocities of 76 ± 1 m s−1 for full-field deformation measurements and 134.3 ± 1.7 m s−1 for perforation tests. The behaviour of the plates during impact was recorded using digital image correlation (DIC), in order to monitor strain and out-of-plane deformation in panels with nanoreinforced matrices. Following penetrative impact tests, pulse thermography was used to characterise the delamination of impacted plates. The results of full-field deformation, exit velocity and energy absorption measurements from the ballistic tests show significant improvements in impact resistance for the panels made from nanomodified epoxies relative to laminates with the unmodified epoxy matrix. The highest absolute absorbed energy was observed for the GFRP panels fabricated using the epoxy matrix loaded with BNNT/GNP at 255.7 J, 16.8% higher than the unmodified epoxy matrix.

The objective of this study is to characterize the damage in glass fiber reinforced composite laminated reinforced with nanosilica particles subjected to tensile, flexural, and transverse loadings. Tensile, three-point bending, quasi-static indentation test, and ballistic impact tests were used in order to obtain the perforation response, flexural and tensile behavior of the composites and nanocomposites. Experimental test series was carried out to determine the tensile and flexural strength and stiffness, impact energy absorption, and failure mechanisms of composites in the presence of nanoparticle. Hand lay-up method has been used to manufacture nanocomposites constituted of 12 layers of 2D woven glass fibers with 40% fiber volume fraction. The composites were reinforced by adding organically modified nano-silica in a 0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 3% ratio in weight with respect to the matrix. Results revealed that in 0.5 wt.% nanoparticles, energy absorption and tensile strength are maximum, but flexural strength has the highest value in 3 wt.%. Furthermore, the highest energy absorption, elastic energy, and energy absorption at maximum force in quasi-static penetration occur in 0.5% nanosilica content. In the case of ballistic tests, effect of nanosilica is more tangible than in quasi-static indentation. Nanocomposite at 0.5% nanosilica recorded higher ballistic limit and energy absorption in comparison with other composites and nanocomposites. SEM images showed that fracture surfaces in 0.5 wt.% nanocomposites are rough and engender more crack tips in comparison with other specimens, which contributes to higher energy absorption in static and dynamic tests.

In this paper, an analytical model has been developed for modeling high-velocity impact on ceramic/nanocomposite targets. In this model, the penetration resistance of the ceramic is determined based on the cavity expansion analysis. Also semi-angle of the ceramic conoid is modified. For modeling the back-up composite laminate, the kinetic and strain energy of yarns and shear plugging have been determined. Also the effect of nano-zirconia particles dispersed in the matrix of back-up composite, based on the ballistic performance of the ceramic/nanocomposite target, is investigated. Ballistic impact tests were performed to validate analytical predictions. Experimental results revealed an improvement in the ballistic performance of samples with nano-zirconia particles. The analytical predictions of ballistic limit velocity and residual velocity of projectile are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results.

Recent advancements in crashworthiness analysis of functionally graded foam-filled tubes are achieved by studying the energy absorption characteristics in lateral or axial directions, separately. In this paper, for the first time, two-directional (lateral and axial directions together) functionally graded foams (TDFGFs) under axial crushing loads are considered. The effect of variations of foam density on the specific energy absorption (SEA) and peak crushing force (PCF) is studied by controlling the gradient exponential parameters which give rise to significant effects on the crashworthiness of TDFGFs. Also, it is further analysed that how the mass of the TDFGF tube changes values of SEA in crushing process. In addition, as the result of performing multi-objective particle swarm optimisations, it is seen that the energy absorption characteristics of TDFGFs for higher values of gradient exponential parameters are improved significantly. The crashworthiness properties of optimum configurations for ...

In this paper, the behavior of woven E-glass fabric composite laminate was experimentally investigated under quasi-static indentation and high velocity impact by flat-ended, hemispherical, conical (cone angle of 37° and 90°) and ogival (CRH of 1.5 and 2.5) cylindrical perforators. Moreover, the results are compared in order to explore the possibility of extending quasi-static indentation test results to high velocity impact test results in different characteristics such as perforation mechanisms, performance of perforators, energy absorption, friction force, etc. The effects of perforator nose shape, nose length and nose-shank connection shapes were investigated. The results showed that the quasi-static indentation test has a great ability to predict the high velocity impact behavior of the composite laminates especially in several characteristics such as perforation mechanisms, perforator performance. In both experiments, the highest performance occurs for 2.5 CRH projectile and the lowest is related to blunt projectiles. The results show that sharp perforators indicate lower values of dynamic enhancement factor and the flat-ended perforator represents the maximum dynamic enhancement factor among other perforators. Moreover, damage propagation far more occurred in high velocity impact tests then quasi-static tests. The highest damage area is mostly observed in ballistic limit of each projectile which projectile deviation strongly increases this area.

In this paper, two different types of unstiffened and lozenge grid-stiffened E-glass/epoxy composite cylindrical shells are experimentally investigated under lateral compression. The composite shells are compressed in two different loading conditions; between two rigid flat platens and between a rigid flat platen and a rigid cylindrical indenter which is aligned perpendicular to the shell axis. The effects of the grid stiffeners on the stiffness, contact force and energy absorption capacity of the composite cylindrical shells are investigated in the two mentioned loading conditions. Incorporation of grid stiffeners in the composite cylindrical shells leads to an increase in the structural stiffness, contact force and energy absorbing capacity in both loading conditions. Furthermore, it is observed that the effect of the stiffeners on the structural stiffness is dominant in the elastic deformation stage of the compression processes. The results show that stiffening the composite cylindrical shells with lozenge grid stiffeners can increase the specific energy absorption almost twice in comparison with the unstiffened composite shells; and among all of the specimens, the grid-stiffened structures compressed between two rigid flat platens have the highest specific energy absorption, while the unstiffened structures compressed by the cylindrical indenter have the least capacity to absorb energy.

In addition to fiber properties, the fabric structure plays an important role in determining ballistic performance of composite body armor textile. Textile structures used in ballistic protection are woven fabrics, unidirectional (UD) fabric structures, and nonwoven fabrics. In this article, an analytical model based on wave propagation and energy balance between the projectile and the target is developed to analyze hybrid fabric panels for ballistic protection. The hybrid panel consists of two types of structure: woven fabrics as the front layers and UD material as the rear layers. The model considers different cross sections of surface of the target in the woven and UD fabric of the hybrid panel. Also the model takes into account possible shear failure by using shear strength together with maximum tensile strain as the failure criteria. Reflections of deformation waves at interface between the layers and also the crimp of the yarn are modeled in the woven part of the hybrid panel. The results show greater efficiency of woven fibers in front layers (more shear resistance) and UD yarns in the rear layers (more tensile resistance), leading to better ballistic performance. Also modeling the yarn crimp results in more trauma at the backface of the panel producing data closer to the experimental results. It was found that there is an optimum ratio of woven to UD materials in the hybrid ballistic panel.

In this article, some theoretical relations are derived to predict the instantaneous folding force and the absorbed energy by the empty and polyurethane foam-filled grooved tubes with circular cross-section during the first fold formation under the axial loading. Five different modes of deformation are considered in the theoretical model of deformation: bending around two internal circular hinge lines, bending around an external circular hinge line, extensional deformation in the folding arms, axial compression of the polyurethane foam, and interaction effects between polyurethane foam and inner wall of the grooved tube. Also, based on the experiments, a semi-empirical relation is suggested to predict the effective axial displacement at the end of a complete fold creation in the polyurethane foam-filled grooved tubes. To verify the theoretical analyses, some axial compression tests were carried out on the empty and filled grooved tubes. Comparison of the theoretical predictions with the corresponding experimental results showed a good correlation.

Experimental studies are presented on the high velocity impact behavior of nanomaterial dispersed resin viz laminates made using E-glass fabric with epoxy resin. The nanomaterials used are silica nanoparticles and carboxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (COOH-MWCNT) for polymer matrix composites. The composites' ballistic limit ( Vbl) and impact energy absorbed ( Eab) were determined by subjecting the material to impact loading of 85, 100, and 112 m/s by conical nose projectile. It was found that the high velocity impact response of epoxy composites improved when a nanomaterial was used as reinforcement. COOH-MWCNTs reinforced composites exhibited better energy absorption than silica nanoparticles composites. Moreover, the damage pattern for different types of materials studied is presented. It is observed that the damage size on the target around the point of impact decreases on addition of nanoparticles especially COOH-MWCNTs. Quantitative data are presented for high velocity impact behavior of the seven types of specimens studied.

Today composite structures are widely used in different industries. Since these structures are sometimes experienced impacts of low-velocity objects, evaluating the intensity of the damage due to the impact in these structures seems important and necessary. In this article, the effectiveness of the thermography method with three different thermal excitation sources, including the ultrasonic vibrothermography, infrared thermography with the heating element, and infrared thermography with hot airflow, for damage evaluation in CFRP and GFRP composite plates subjected to low-velocity impacts are investigated. The ultrasonic vibrothermography method is introduced as the most promising technique for damage evaluation in CFRP and GFRP composite plates subjected to low-velocity impacts, and the effect of the excitation power and excitation frequency on the effectiveness of this method is studied. To find the damage location in the thermography images in which the damage is not clear enough to be identified, the wavelet transform is applied while it is not suitable for calculating the damaged area. Finally, finite element (FE) simulations are carried out for the case of an internal defect. The results show the acceptable accuracy of the FE simulation in comparison with the experimental results.

This paper experimentally investigates the behavior of sandwich beam with auxetic core subjected to low-velocity impact loading. Two types of sandwich beams with different topologies of auxetic cellular cores were produced. Furthermore, a test procedure involving a cylindrical impactor was developed, and a parametric study was designed and performed. The results revealed that, at the same level of impact energy, the peak load decreased by increasing the re-entrant angle would make the auxetic sample with the highest re-entrant angle an ideal candidate for protective applications. However, in other applications where the structure needs to be protected from damage at a higher level of impact energy, the auxetic sample with the lowest re-entrant angle exhibited the best performance due to the highest amount of failure energy. Finally, the results showed that once the core structure changed from the conventional to auxetic, the energy level leading to damage to the structure increased so that it was escalated by a factor of 2 in the auxetic sample compared to the conventional sample. This is due to the negative Poisson’s ratio effect of structure that makes unit cells be drawn into the projectile impact area and, in turn, the structure is strengthened.

In this article, the influence of nanoclay Closite 30B on the tensile, the flexural and the punch properties of 2D woven Glass/Epoxy laminate composite have been investigated experimentally. The glass/epoxy/nanoclay laminate have 12 layers and 50% fiber volume fraction is manufactured by VRTM method. Fibers have a plain-weave configuration with density of 200 g/m2, while the nano-epoxy resin system is made of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (Epon828) resin with jeffamine D400 as the curing agent and an organically modified modified montmorillonite in a platelet form, namely Closite 30B. The nanoclay is dispersed into the epoxy system in a 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7% ratio in weight with respect to the nano-matrix. The results have shown that the maximum improvement in the tensile strength, the failure strain, and toughness are 13, 7, and 27%, respectively, by 7% nanoclay and in the modulus is 9% by 3% nanoclay. The results of three bending flexural test indicate that the maximum improvement in the flexural strength and flexural modulus are 11 by 3% nanoclay and 48 by 5% nanoclay, respectively. Moreover, the result of punch tests have shown that the maximum improvement in energy absorbed is close to 46 by 5% nanoclay for crosshead speed of 1mm/min and close to 23 by 3% nanoclay for crosshead speed of 100 mm/min. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:205–212, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

In this paper, the experimental behavior of grid cylindrical composite structures, which are used widely in engineering structures, under ballistic impact is investigated. For this purpose, some grid cylindrical composite specimens were manufactured by the filament winding process and perforated by projectile using the ballistic gas gun. Incident impact velocity and exit velocities of projectile were recorded in each test. The results show that the presence of the ribs prevents pervading of damaged area of one cell to its adjacent cells. The structure behaves differently against projectile with velocity near ballistic limit and higher velocities. The results demonstrated that, by getting close to the ribs location, ballistic limit velocity was increased. However, due to reduction in energy absorption mechanisms in grid composite structures which are impacted in higher velocity than ballistic limit, projectile was exited of grid samples at higher velocity than unstiffened composite shells. Also, investigation of delamination in composite shell and ribs, debonding between ribs and shell (or separation of ribs and shell), residual velocity of projectile, damaged area of the grid specimens and the effects of curvature in two different velocities are presented and the results are discussed. POLYM. COMPOS., 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

In this article, the ballistic behavior of the glass/epoxy/nanoclay hybrid nanocomposites is studied. The fiber glass used is a plain weave 200 g/m2, while the nanoclay is an organically modified montmorillonite nanoclay (Closite 30B). The epoxy resin system is made of Epon 828 as the epoxy prepolymer and Jeffamine D-400 as the curing agent. 0, 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt% of nanoclay particles are dispersed in the epoxy resin. Ballistic tests are performed using flat-ended projectiles in impact velocities 134 m/s and 169 m/s. The results show that the energy absorption capability and mechanical properties of the composite can be significantly enhanced by adding nanoparticles. When the impact velocity is 134 m/s, near than the ballistic limit, the most increase in the energy absorption capability is observed in 3 wt% nanoclay while with the impact velocity 169 m/s, beyond the ballistic limit, the highest increase is observed in 10 wt% nanoclay. POLYM. COMPOS., 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

This study aims to investigate the impact performance of composite panels consisting of plain-woven Kevlar fabric and rubber matrix. A finite element (FE) model in conjunction with experimental tests was developed to simulate the response of neat fabric and composite under impact loading. Each warp and weft yarn of fabric was individually modeled and combined with rubber matrix network to form the composite. To understand the effect of natural rubber on impact resistance of Kevlar/rubber composites, two types of rubber with different formulation were considered and their mechanical properties were obtained by split Hopkinson pressure bar tests and assigned to the model. Numerical results showed good agreement with the experimental data for both neat fabric and composite. It was shown that rubber matrix improves the ballistic performance of Kevlar fabric by keeping composite flexibility. High hardness rubber matrix composite has higher energy absorption capacity compared to the low hardness rubber matrix composite, due to presence of stronger intermolecular chains. Additionally, deformation and damage mechanism of fabric and composite were investigated under impact loading. The results were presented, discussed and commented upon.

In this work, an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique has been used for deposition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of glass fiber textures (GTs) to increase the volume conductivity and the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of CNT/glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRPs) composites. Comprehensive experimental studies have been conducted to establish the influence of electric field strength, CNT concentration in EPD suspension, surface quality of GTs, and process duration on the quality of deposited CNT layers. CNT deposition increased remarkably when the surface of glass fibers was treated with coupling agents. Deposition of CNTs was optimized by measuring CNT’s deposition mass and process current density diagrams. The effect of optimum field strength on CNT deposition mass is around 8.5 times, and the effect of optimum suspension concentration on deposition rate is around 5.5 times. In the optimum experimental setting, the current density values of EPD were bounded between 0.5 and 1 mA/cm2. Based on the cumulative deposition diagram, it was found that the first three minutes of EPD is the effective deposition time. Applying optimized EPD in composite fabrication of treated GTs caused a drastic improvement on the order of 108 times in the volume conductivity of the nanocomposite laminate in comparison with simple GTs specimens. Optimized CNT deposition also enhanced the ILSS of hierarchical nanocomposites by 42%.